People have been talking about Ghostbusters 3 for at least 10 years now, so my official stance is “I’ll believe it when I see it,” which is what I would recommend. But if you’re into the whole let’s-talk-about-rumors thing, the latest is that Paul Feig is Sony’s “frontrunner” to direct Ghostbusters 3. Of course, Lord and Miller were the “frontrunners” just a few months ago and we all know how that worked out. Now TheWrap is reporting that Sony is “entertaining the idea” of a “female-driven Ghostbusters” movie. Which I suppose makes sense, considering that ever since Paul Feig made Bridesmaids, the industry has apparently seen him as “that guy who does lady stuff” because that was easier than paying attention to all the other stuff that he’s done for the past 20 years.
After years of struggling to develop “Ghostbusters 3,” Sony Pictures is entertaining the idea of a female-driven reboot of the original cult hit that would be written, directed and produced by “Bridesmaids” filmmaker Paul Feig, multiple individuals familiar with the situation have told TheWrap.
While Sony was believed to be happy with the last draft of “Ghostbusters 3” which was written by Etan Cohen (“Tropic Thunder”), the studio has had second thoughts and reversed course, sparking to Feig’s empowered take and discussing his rewriting the project from scratch, according to insiders. [TheWrap]
(*re-reads “empowered take”*)
Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman will likely remain involved as fellow producers given their ties to the series, but it’s unknown whether Aykroyd and fellow ghostbuster Ernie Hudson would appear onscreen, perhaps passing their proton packs onto their college-aged daughters.
Should Feig come onboard, the question would likely turn to casting, in which Melissa McCarthy’s name would inevitably come up, given her relationship with the director. McCarthy became the breakout star of Feig’s “Bridesmaids” and went on to work him on “The Heat” and his upcoming Fox movie “Spy.”
So maybe Feig comes aboard, and then maybe they cast some ladies, because Paul Feig likes ladies. And maybe one of those ladies is Melissa McCarthy, since Paul Feig likes Melissa McCarthy and Hollywood likes Melissa McCarthy and Melissa McCarthy is a lady. If Feig comes aboard. Maybe. Or maybe they hire Harmony Korine and the Ghostbusters will be James Franco, three naked Disney chicks, and Slimer as a pot-bellied pig. Or maybe the pig is actually a goat, or a dog, or an invisible BMX bicycle. We really can’t say at this point, but I’ll be sure to throw out lots more random guesses in the next seven years of it not happening. The possibilities are truly fascinating.